Stop And Smell The Roses

Stop And Smell The Roses

"Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing
has come the cooing of doves is heard in our land."

We talk about everyone and everything having a purpose in life. And while the extracts from many plants and flowers have been found to have medicinal purposes, what if God just created the flowers for us to look at, enjoy their beauty, and in so doing, take our eyes off ourselves and our hectic lives for a few brief moments.

The lyrics to Mac Davis's song are something we might want to keep in mind:

"You got to stop and smell the roses
You've got to count your many blessings every day
You're going to find your way to heaven is a rough and rocky road
If you don't stop and smell the roses along the way."

It might be a catchy song that has brought some notoriety to Mac Davis but it's also wise advice for each of us caught up in an increasingly materialistic world with demands on our time never seen before. We can be in such a hurry that we lose sight of reality and lose sight of God's many blessings in our lives.

Many of us have used the phrase "you need to stop and smell the roses" in speaking to someone who has lost their thankfulness for God's many blessings in their life. The loses in life are there for each of us. I've never forgotten the young Philippino man, in his early twenties, thanking the Lord for a job selling newspapers on the street earning 40 cents a day (that is not a typo in case you're wondering) for 5 hours work. He looked at that opportunity as a rose in his life. Your child, or children, is a rose that you should make sure to hug everyday. Your family, your home, your job, your health - all roses to be counted as blessings everyday. The words of the song are very true that life gets more and more difficult when we lose sight of those "roses".

The next time you go to Krogers, Meijer, or even Sam's Club, take a detour to the flower section of the store and smell the roses. Then take a moment to count the blessings in your life and thank the Lord for the roses He has sent your way.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church